God I hated that movie. It wasn't because it was bad (and it was fucking awful), but more because it could have been amazing. It had the chance to be awesome high concept sci-fi with decent action thrown in. Instead it resorted to the worst kind of b-movie schlock and a stoned first year arts students idea of profound philosophy.

And that's ignoring how much the movie hates science. Honestly when that retard took off his helmet and said "don't be a skeptic", I nearly walked out at that point.

"Don't be a skeptic"? Are you fuckin' kidding me? Yeah, let's just ignore one of the fundamental tenets of science!

bah....

>> ^EvilDeathBee:

>> ^JiggaJonson:
@EvilDeathBee "reaching" ain't there yet. Still looks like a cartoon to me (probably bc I play too many games). And nomatter how good it gets, it will always look like the actors are talking to/interacting with empty air. Say what you will about animatronics and puppets but meeting a puppet's eyes is never a problem for actors.

Completely disagree. Did you seriously think Prometheus looked "cartoony"? Also, the CGI Yoda in the Blu-Ray Episode 1 was so much better than the rubbish puppet from the theatrical release (regardless of how shit the film is). No matter how good a puppet or animatronic is, it will always be limited in what it can do and especially how it animates.
And if and actor has trouble meeting the eyes of a digital character, that's poor setup, poor direction, poor editing and even poor acting. As I said, it's knowing when to use CGI and when to use puppets/animatronics/models. All can be blended to work well together, depends on the shot.

Ok, so the Yoda puppet was pretty shit, but I think I still prefer it to the CG one. Whether something is believable seems pretty binary to me. Its not as if either version really does a good job of hiding the man behind the curtain. Some CG I am totally fooled by. Backdrops, a lot of special effects but when it comes to something organic, something thats going to be the focus of the camera CG never really holds up. I've seen tech demos of CG faces, and tbh, I can't really tell the difference. I think the problem often is blending this CG in with the rest of the scene. Our brains seem very good at detecting inconsistency in lighting etc, too often CG elements really seem painted on top and it spoils the illusion. A lot of animatronic stuff matches CG in terms of its animation, but because its actually in the scene it never jumps out at you.

But hey, maybe one day our films will be made entirely in front of bluescreens. Pehraps the performers won't even have to wear makeup or costume, it'll all be superimposed on afterwards. For the moment I still think animatronics has the edge in realism.

Prometheus looked great to me - in 3d. But so did avatar and it loses a lot without 3d.

I have to say when i saw digital yoda hopping around for the first time i burst out laughing. I think it looked utterly rediculous.

>> ^JiggaJonson:

@EvilDeathBee "reaching" ain't there yet. Still looks like a cartoon to me (probably bc I play too many games). And nomatter how good it gets, it will always look like the actors are talking to/interacting with empty air. Say what you will about animatronics and puppets but meeting a puppet's eyes is never a problem for actors.


Completely disagree. Did you seriously think Prometheus looked "cartoony"? Also, the CGI Yoda in the Blu-Ray Episode 1 was so much better than the rubbish puppet from the theatrical release (regardless of how shit the film is). No matter how good a puppet or animatronic is, it will always be limited in what it can do and especially how it animates.
And if and actor has trouble meeting the eyes of a digital character, that's poor setup, poor direction, poor editing and even poor acting. As I said, it's knowing when to use CGI and when to use puppets/animatronics/models. All can be blended to work well together, depends on the shot.

>> ^JiggaJonson:

Why not just use CGI? It's fast, more cost effective, and looks like pure-fucking-garbage. Win/Win!


Not really. CGI is not faster, it's a lot more expensive and the have you seen Prometheus? Modern CGI is reaching the stage of actually looking like it fits the scene and not completely out of place. Animatronics has limitations, and bad anmiatronics and suits can look just as bad as bad CGI. In the end, both require talented artists, directors and editors

I know I'm recycling this comment, but for those of you who saw Prometheus: THIS is why they hate us.

>> ^spoco2:

>> ^ChaosEngine:
"aw who are we kidding? this movie is fucking awesome"
Amen brother, high hopes for the next one.
My brain is threatening to squeeze itself out my nose if The Dark Knight Rises sucks as much as Prometheus.

Current reviews on Rotten Tomatoes would indicate you have nothing to worry about there.


I know... got my tickets... excited like a kid on xmas eve.

Lots of cinemas here are showing Begins, Knight and then a midnight show of Rises. Would love to have gone, but have to teach tonight

>> ^ChaosEngine:

"aw who are we kidding? this movie is fucking awesome"
Amen brother, high hopes for the next one.
My brain is threatening to squeeze itself out my nose if The Dark Knight Rises sucks as much as Prometheus.


Current reviews on Rotten Tomatoes would indicate you have nothing to worry about there.

"aw who are we kidding? this movie is fucking awesome"

Amen brother, high hopes for the next one.

My brain is threatening to squeeze itself out my nose if The Dark Knight Rises sucks as much as Prometheus.

This guy passed the Prometheus test.

Ok, I'm late to the party but I finally saw it last night and by christ it was awful, for all of the above reasons and more.

And @Unsung_Hero, I'm quite happy to enjoy a mindless space terror/action flick, but prometheus isn't even that. It kinda tries to be, but doesn't really know whether it wants to be high concept or thriller or both and fails at all of them.

What really annoys me is that there's some potentially awesome sci fi out there (Altered Carbon is still in development hell) and somehow someone lets Damon "Lost, but in space" Lindelof write this crap.

>> ^AeroMechanical:

>> ^Payback:
>> ^kceaton1:

I'll still see this as it's a Bruce Willis movie and he seems to have an O.K. streak; he hasn't ever really made/been-in a dud, similar to Harrison Ford on that front. Plus Joseph Levitt to boot, should be alright.

Air Force One?

cough Hudson Hawk cough Armageddon cough


While both those films are fairly bad, they are FAR more watchable than the true dregs of movies that have been made by people such as Uwe Boll or M. Night Shyamalan--when M.N.S. made a good show, followed by a decent one, and then proceeded to believe that he made the best films man had ever bear witness to. Plus we both know that there was an audience (and a large one for Armageddon) for BOTH of those movies and also Air Force One, @Payback; sure, they weren't me and you (or @Payback), but there are a lot of people in this world that do not ask very much from their movies.

It's when a movie lets down EVEN THEM that it is a pure and utter failure, able to be ridiculed without equal until the end of time. These are the worst films made. Of course many of the movies that DO succeed, like Prometheus right now (June 2012--for reference), can be made fun of A LOT (like Armageddon, which has been the punchline to many jokes). Why? Because, they have MASSIVE disconnects from reality or other bad writing and screenplay mechanics that they are just ridiculous when thought about with any amount of real thought and prowess in a subject dealing with the movie and it's attempt to portray reality in another light that is utterly false. As I said they appeal to the "entertainment" type audience; someone that would go see Independence Day over and over again. Not to us were we watch someone take off a helmet in a potential zero atmosphere environment "to test it out"; that is UTTER NONSENSE, no one does this in reality! This is the stuff that makes us hate those movies (and create the myriad of jokes for it as well). But, not the entertainment crowd who can enjoy a movie for what it is and suspend their connection with reality for awhile.

Granted if I were to use my "full-on" reviewing analysis of what I would include as good movies--the count of "alright" movies would plummet (for Harrison Ford and Bruce Willis). I can think of atleast 3-4 shows that Bruce has been in that I would consider failures in this light, but I know that many people beyond me DO like these movies--that is why I don't count them as failures as there remains an audience--a decently sized one--for those movies. I have to admit I have my own "cult" movie favorites that no-one likes, really, except for me and maybe a few other people I know. I also have been able to like movies for their entertainment value although I know if I treat them with reality they fall completely apart, quickly. Sometimes it's best to let your imagination rule your heart.

Same thing here. I'm just not on the end of the spectrum that enjoys those movies, if you get my drift. So, trust me, I know Bruce has his bad movies (same with Harrison Ford)--but his bad movies, so far, are better than the real dregs and bottom scraped-up leftovers that are out there. That is what I was trying to say in a lot less context--I hope this clears it up. We most likely see things fairly close or the same; I'm just giving credit to the people that DO like Hudson Hawk, Armageddon, and Air Force One.

That was more pointless than Prometheus

Exactly!>> ^GeeSussFreeK:

>> ^Fusionaut:
Damon Lindelof wrote the script?!?!?! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!! Damon Lindelof sucks giant donkey penis... There, I said it.

Prometheus, Cowboys & Aliens

But also: Avatar: The Last Airbender (TV series)....Imma be cautiously optimistic.

>> ^Fusionaut:

Damon Lindelof wrote the script?!?!?! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!! Damon Lindelof sucks giant donkey penis... There, I said it.


Prometheus, Cowboys & Aliens


But also: Avatar: The Last Airbender (TV series)....Imma be cautiously optimistic.